Question of the Week...kinda

Okay...this wasn't a "Question of the Week" per se--at least it didn't come from an e-mail sent to the Compassion Revolution. Rather, it came from a recent e-mail exchange with an atheist friend. First let me state, that I have great respect for those that follow that path. This particular individual claimed to be a militant atheist, but by definition of that sect, he really didn't seem to fit that description.

At any rate, our discussion led to one's image of God. He was dispelling the Biblical images of God being essentially a "grumpy old fart in some distant realm, who was ready to strike down man for shitting on the wrong brick". I think I surprised him by wholeheartedly agreeing with him. He then asked me, "What then, as a Christian, is your image of God?"

Answer..."First, let me say that, I think that your image of God greatly impacts the way you serve God. Those of the more legalistic versions of Christianity see God as a dictator who demands to be obeyed...to have his many rules followed in order to gain Divine acceptance. That is not my image. Actually, I don't think that image mirrors the revelation of God provided by Jesus. This is not surprising considering that much of what Jesus taught is ignored left legalistic religion in favor of re-working scripture (i.e. Paul's letters, etc.) into the law that is so craved by these segments of fundamentalism. No, my image of God is much more based on the revelation of God provided by Jesus.

First, God is a loving Father, whose love is not bound or dependent upon adherence to law, but truly operates withen the limitless boundaries of compassion and agape. After all, it is truly man that has created the confines of law by buying into conventional thinking and the lofty expectations created by such a mindset. Behavior that operates within the confines of love will always play out in such a manner that generates an embracing, loving, peaceful mindset for all parties. In other words, law is naturally taken care of when one's focus is on the love that Jesus taught.

Second, God is energy...generative, spiritual energy. God is not a man and should not be alluded to as such. Rather, the image that it can be accurately stated that humans are in likeness to God, is that of a spiritual nature; and not a human form. God is an omnipresent, spiritual entity that binds, loves, unites, connects. That entitity can be felt and experienced or equally ignored completely. Some choose the latter; some the former. That, in a nutshell is my image of God."